


Headcolds and Headaches

by bananannabeth



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, set during the first ToA book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-28 02:46:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13262004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananannabeth/pseuds/bananannabeth
Summary: Annabeth recoiled a little and then leaned forward, peering at her boyfriend’s red nose and watery, bloodshot eyes. “What happened to you?”Percy glared at her over the tissue he was using to blow his nose. “Hi Annabed, it’s great to see you too.”





	Headcolds and Headaches

 

As soon as the Iris Message shimmered into existence, Percy sneezed so violently he almost ended the call. 

 

“Whoa.” Annabeth recoiled a little and then leaned forward, peering at her boyfriend’s red nose and watery, bloodshot eyes. “What happened to  _you_?”

 

Percy glared at her over the tissue he was using to blow his nose. “Hi Annabed, it’s great to see you too.”

 

She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing at how ridiculous he sounded. “Sorry, let me try that again. Hello dearest boyfriend, you look just as handsome as you did this morning.”

 

He rolled his eyes and tossed the tissue out of view. “Can you come home now?”

 

“Why, do you need someone to take care of you while you’re sick?” She was trying to tease him, but when Percy’s expression remained flat and serious she realised something was really wrong. Her stomach dropped. She sat up straighter and asked urgently, “What’s happened?”

 

“Apollo -” was all Percy managed to say before he was wracked by another violent sneeze. The oddly shaky and low quality connection faltered and flickered before coming back into focus.

 

In the time it took him to recover, a thousand thoughts raced through Annabeth’s mind about what Apollo could have screwed up now. The god had been next to useless throughout the war with Gaia, and no one had heard from him since he’d faced Zeus’s wrath six months ago. If he was back, and if he’d been in contact with Percy, it couldn’t be good. 

 

“Not another quest,” she said.

 

At the same time, Percy said, “He’s mortal.”

 

Annabeth thought she must have misheard. “What?”

 

The look Percy gave her said that he, too, wished it had been a miscommunication. “Apollo’s a mortal. Sixteen-year-old mortal, too.”

 

“ _That’s_ Zeus’s punishment? He made him a mortal again?” She blew a stream of air between her pursed lips, trying not to panic. She didn’t want to leave Boston, lest Magnus return, but she also didn’t want to leave Percy alone to deal with an egotistical god-turned-mortal. “That’s like the third time he’s done that.”

 

Percy nodded solemnly. “He turned up at the apartment today with a twelve year old demigod, Meg. Said he had no idea what’d been going on for the last six months, thah he’d just crash landed in a dumpster this morning. He asked me to help him complete some trials…”

 

Annabeth bit her tongue. She had some choice words for anyone who dared try to drag Percy into anything dangerous - not only was he still recovering from the last war and trying to finish high school, but Sally was extremely pregnant and Annabeth wasn’t there to fight at his side - but she also had the good sense to hope that Percy would have put himself above the wishes of Apollo.

 

“I politely told him where he could shove thah idea.” The little smirk Percy gave her made her laugh.

 

“Thanks the gods for that, I was afraid I was going to have to head back there and talk some sense into you.”

 

He shook his head, absentmindedly mussing up his hair. “I offered to drive them to camp, though -”

 

“That was nice of you.”

 

“I mainly just wanted them out of the apartment and away from Mom,” he admitted.

 

Annabeth nodded and made a sympathetic noise. Even as a mortal, Apollo was definitely going to attract danger, and that was the last thing Sally and Paul needed.

 

She plucked at the tie of her jacket and said, “Let me guess, it wasn’t a leisurely drive?”

 

Percy told her the whole story, about being followed by shimmering blobs and having to do some impressive driving; about the crash into the orchard and the disgustingness of the plague spirits; about saving Apollo by ingeniously using the irrigation system and contracting the world’s most frustrating head cold.

 

When he was done telling her about how he’d talked his way out of trouble with the cops, Annabeth instinctively reached out towards the Iris Message. She wanted nothing more than to clasp his hand in hers, to run her thumb over the back of his knuckles and anchor the two of them together. 

 

Her hand closed on cold, empty air.

 

Percy’s eyebrows knotted together as he watched the gesture, and when she let her hand fall back into her lap, he sighed. “I miss you.”

 

“I miss you, too.”

 

“You know this isn’t good, right?”

 

Annabeth pushed her hair back behind her ears. “No, I know.”

 

“Whatever’s going on with your cousin, and Apollo showing up mortal and defenceless…”

 

Her mind whirred with possible connections. She didn’t have enough information to make any solid ties, yet, but something in her gut was warning Annabeth that this was big. “Yeah. So much for a restful year, huh?” 

 

“If you wanted a restful year we should have dropped out of school and devoted all our time to designing our own island in the middle of the sea.” 

 

“I told you, that’s an amazing Plan B, but -”

 

“We’re going for normalcy, I know.” Percy’s smile was soft, and Annabeth mimicked it without effort. “I’m hoping to get back to camp this weekend to talk to Chiron. Do you think you could be back by then?”

 

She desperately wanted to say yes. She missed Chiron, she missed Camp, she missed Percy so much it was like a physical ache. And she wanted to know what was going on with Apollo, what trials he’d been talking about. “I’m not sure… I’m planning on visiting the library again tomorrow, so I’ll let you know if I find anything more. I feel like I’m on the brink of it, I’m just missing one vital piece of info…”

 

Percy couldn’t hide the sadness from his eyes, but he tried to sound upbeat when he said, “Just let me know, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

He sneezed again, and the connection flickered violently.

 

“Does it seem unusually shaky tonight?” Annabeth questioned.

 

Percy was too busy sneezing and sniffling to hear. She heard Sally call from outside his bedroom door, “Percy, I’ve made you some soup! Do you want to eat it in there or in the lounge?”

 

“I’ll be out in a minute, Mom!” he called.

 

Annabeth’s smile was firmly in place when he turned back to the Iris Message. “Go eat your soup. Keep your fluids up.”

 

“Keep my fluids - Apollo said the exact same thing. Hello, son of Poseidon?”

 

Annabeth laughed. “Well then you know how important it is. Go rest, Seaweed Brain. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

 

“All right. Stay safe. I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

The next sneeze was all the weak connection could take. The last thing Annabeth saw was her boyfriend’s face, all scrunched up and red, before he sneezed their call to a close.

 


End file.
